African Style Hits Zurich

Hi, hope you’re having a great day!

This story is so inspirational I promise it’s worth the read wherever you live…

Having fallen in love with Stella Jean designs (see: Secret to Successfully Styling Patterns and Stella Jean MFW Fall2016 Show), I have been off on a mission for some time now to find some real African fabric to turn into funky outfits…and now seemingly out of nowhere I discovered Mamadou Konate…the most excellent African taylor with a fabulous array of fabrics from both Ghana and the Ivory Coast.

It felt like standing in a candy store selecting the fabrics I would buy. Best of all is the price – up to CHF 20 per metre! A serious bargain.

They are updated continuously too as looking at this picture I realise the pretty pinks certainly weren’t in store last time – might have to get some of that too 😉

Love Mamadou’s story – arriving in Switzerland in 2007 as a refugee from the Ivory Coast he started earning money by cleaning the streets of Zurich. Then one day an old lady came by and asked him if he wanted a sewing machine – he said yes, took it home and has never looked back!

Self taught the first thing he sewed was a pair of trousers for himself – pretty soon afterwards he was asked to produce a uniform for the Ballet group then called “Café au lait“. In May 2008 he rented a stand at Afro-Pfingsten in Winterthur and his business has been booming ever since -now having a shop located right in the centre of Zurich at Seilergraben 7.

His work is exquisite with beautiful lining he’ll create anything you ask him too…wait for it my lovely creations will be on instagram soon 😉

For any of you that like to dabble at making your own clothes Mamadou also gives sewing classes – check out more here.

Here my current favourite photo of Stella Jean inspiration:

If you want to try your own it’s a simple trip to:

Kreationkonate.ch

Mamadou Konate

Seilergraben 7

8001 Zurich

phone: +41 78 866 86 95

Wishing you all a fab day!

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FunkyForty

Hi! I’m Yvonne, a 40 something (wink) Kiwi, living in Zurich. I love fashion, travel, shopping and food – believing chocolate will cure almost anything!